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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463303">Just have fun (throw away your worries)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/charons_boat/pseuds/charons_boat'>charons_boat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Expansion Packs: Song Stories Edition [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Boyz (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Apartment Building, Cute, Fireworks, M/M, Peaceful life, Pinball Machine, Small community, automated city, inner machine, messaging system, other groups mentioned but in a cryptic way, pinball babies, pinball city</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:08:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463303</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/charons_boat/pseuds/charons_boat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Some pinball cities were filled to the brim and had complicated governments, but Ilyah wasn't like that. Ilyah was a quiet little community of less than a dozen.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bae Joonyoung | Jacob/Moon Hyungseo | Kevin, Choi Chanhee | New/Lee Sangyeon, Heo Hyunjoon | Hwall/Ju Haknyeon, Ji Changmin | Q/Kim Sunwoo, Lee Jaehyun | Hyunjae/Lee Juyeon, Son Youngjae | Eric/Kim Younghoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Expansion Packs: Song Stories Edition [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765816</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just have fun (throw away your worries)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/dobricara/gifts">dobricara</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is such a cute world uwu i might write more for this universe someday</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I've been told that many people don't know where they are or who they are when they're born. Changmin was the one who told me that, though I couldn't ever remember how we ended up on the topic of the people outside. We (all eleven of us) had been born into a pinball machine. It was a game created by the humans outside our home. Some of the others suspected that the glass ceiling we lived under warped what the humans saw, because none of the humans who played our game and occasionally expanded our family ever took the machine apart to let us out.</p><p>There were only eleven of us, but there was room for a lot more of us to be born. We hardly took up a single apartment building, especially with some of us living together. I hadn't moved in with anyone yet, because I liked living alone and because I hadn't started any romantic relationships. The stores all stocked themselves, and food never seemed to go bad. When Changmin told me that the people outside had to run the stores themselves, and that they had to pay for things like water and electricity, I was shocked. We didn't even have money in our little city. We just took what we needed, and it replenished itself over the course of a day.</p><p>I was the newest citizen of Ilyah, and as such I wore jersey number 82. Changmin and Haknyeon had run some of the stores themselves at first, just for fun and to see what it was like, and they told me that their work uniforms had printed their numbers on the back. They used to get messages from other pinball cities, like Arariyo and Elyxion, but the messages had stopped long before I was born. They told me that Elyxion had been near full the last time they received a message from them, and that the people there had worked jobs and had a government. Arariyo had lived much like we did now, peacefully and happily, and were able to run their small community without much hassle. Kevin, Eric, and Sunwoo still sent messages out sometimes, though they never got a response. The three men let me watch them sit and write letters in careful script, afterwards setting them in small tubes which encapsulated the letters in small, black balls with three stripes around the middle in yellow and white. The letters were sent off, and they showed me the basket they'd set up under a tube labeled <em>incoming</em>. It stayed empty no matter how long we stayed in the room.</p><p>Hyunjae and Hyunjoon liked helping people decorate their houses. They'd carry in heavy furniture despite not really needing to because all the shops had strange little remotes that could be used to send your picks straight to your apartment, and they'd paint the walls despite the fact that we could click buttons on different remotes that came with the apartment. Sometimes, they'd even help us change our locks just for the fun of it. Jacob liked to help with the painting, and Younghoon liked to help with the locks and the windows.</p><p>I was the eighty-second pinball to be shot into the machine and used for whatever entertainment the outsiders got from our home, and it had been a long time since anyone used the machine. Before me, Younghoon was the sixty-seventh ball. Hyunjoon was the thirty-ninth before him, and Jacob was the thirtieth. Hyunjae had only been born six earlier than Jacob and had the number twenty-four on the back of his jersey. Eric was the twenty-second, Sunwoo was the nineteenth, and Kevin was the sixteenth. With Juyeon at the eleventh, Haknyeon at the ninth, and Changmin at only the second, it was obvious to me that we were slowing down. Ilyah had grown quickly at the beginning, but something had slowed that by the time Jacob was born.</p><p>In the time I'd been alive, I'd only seen five balls be shot into the city. We saw them as strange, intangible things rolling through buildings and sending soft thuds throughout the city walls. They were the closest things we had to ghosts, because once they were gone we never saw them again. I wondered how often the Elyxion city had to have been used by outsiders for them to have so many residents, how many numbers they'd gone through and how long they'd been around. Were they in the hundreds by now? The thousands? The numbers seemed unreal to me.</p><p>When Changmin started up a campfire the ward away the darkness the streetlamps couldn't dissipate, we all gathered around. No one ever missed a campfire, because it was something like the city councils the larger cities had. We used ours for fun, mostly, but it seemed like this one was more serious than any we'd had yet. Changmin was pacing back and forth, the star-shaped glitter on his cheek shining as he walked one way, the bright lines lighting up the other. His blond hair looked lighter in the firelight, and he was chewing on his lip. The shooting star glitter that Sunwoo wore on his face shone for a second as he stood up and walked over to Changmin. He whispered something to his boyfriend and gave him a tight hug and a quick smile before sitting back down. When Changmin glanced back at Sunwoo, the brunet rolled his eyes with a fond smile on his lips and gave the blond a thumbs up. Changmin took a deep breath before turning to us.</p><p>"I think we've been abandoned. The sky hasn't gotten brighter in a long time, and there haven't been many balls shot since Sangyeon was born--"</p><p>"Only five," I told him. Everyone laughed quietly and Changmin smiled at me, nodding in thanks.</p><p>"Only five since Sangyeon," he agreed. "It happened to Arariyo a while back, before they stopped sending us letters. I'm not sure if it's happened to Elyxion yet, but if it hasn't… they must be running out of space." His voice went soft and quiet and he stared off into the distance. He shook his head after a moment and blinked. "Eleven doesn't… feel right to me. I think we need one more." Everyone murmured quiet agreement, and Changmin furrowed his brow.</p><p>"Elyxion told us how to get the outsiders to play more," Kevin said suddenly. We all turned to him, and he lowered his hand. He'd had it raised for some reason, though Changmin hadn't asked a question. "They said we have to find the fireworks and set them off. According to the people who sent their letters, it was a secret that their President had kept for a long time. It should guarantee around a dozen balls. One of those *has* to give us our last citizen." Everyone nodded and agreed.</p><p>"Okay. Thank you, Kevin. So, I guess we just have to find our fireworks now," Changmin said.</p><p>"Hold on! Kevin, you forgot the other part," Eric exclaimed. Kevin furrowed his brows, looking confused. Eric sighed. "They're somewhere deep inside the machine itself. It's dangerous to go get them, and you could mess up the city. We'll have to be careful." I stayed silent a moment longer before raising my hand. Changmin nodded towards me and I lowered my hand, licking my lips and swallowing before speaking.</p><p>"I can do it. I've never broken anything in my house. I'll be as careful as I can."</p><p>"That's true. Sangyeon's never broken anything, not even a coffee cup."</p><p>"I've broken plenty of stuff."</p><p>"That's 'cause you're clumsy!"</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>"Everyone! Settle down," Changmin demanded. Everyone went quiet, and the only sound that remained was the crackling of the campfire. "Sangyeon, you can go. We'll start getting ready in the morning. You can set off the day after, on a full stomach and a good night of sleep." I nodded, and Changmin sent me a grateful smile. When people thanked me, I told them it was no trouble if it was to get our missing person to the city. Changmin sent us all home, and I watched as people split up on the way to the apartment. Changmin and Sunwoo on the first floor, Haknyeon and Hyunjoon on the second, Juyeon and Hyunjae on the third, Kevin and Jacob on the fourth, and Eric and Younghoon on the fifth. I walked up to the sixth floor all on my own and stared at the flight that led to the seventh and last floor, never touched by anyone's feet or shoes as far as I knew. They'd only ever gone up to the sixth floor before a relationship started and people moved in together on lower floors. I let my hand fall from the safety railing and walked over to my door, unlocking it with my newest key; I already had three from lock changes, and my newest key had my number stamped on one side and my name on the other.</p><p>I set the keys in the little dish I had by my door and slipped my shoes off, putting on slippers because the floors were cold and proceeding to my kitchen for a snack. I pulled a little bag of beef jerky from the cabinet and sat down to turn on my TV. The cushion sunk under my weight, and I made sure to keep my volume down low so I wouldn't disturb any of the others. I wondered sometimes why no one moved into different apartment buildings, even if just for privacy, but then I thought about living somewhere other than apartment block B, floor 6, and I felt incredibly sad. It was then that I realized no one wanted to move out for privacy because these places had become homes to us, had even become part of us in some way.</p><p>That night, I went to sleep wondering if I'd ever see a sixth or seventh ball being shot into Ilyah, or if I'd ever see our last citizen be born.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The preparation for the firework search involved a lot of Changmin and Haknyeon packing a backpack full of supplies for me. I went over city schematics with Kevin and Eric while Sunwoo sent more letters to the other cities. I cooked a big dinner for everyone that night, and we all celebrated what we hoped would be our last push as a city. I set the heavy pack on my bed afterwards and familiarized myself with its contents. There was a set of clothing on the top with a note from Changmin that told me I should wear it tomorrow to protect me from any stray dangers inside the machine, so I set the outfit on the chair I kept by my door. I left the note on top, just so I wouldn't forget that it was there. I left the flashlight in the right pocket and moved the pocket knife to the left one. There was a smaller map in the right pocket with the flashlight, and there were a few water bottles, two gatorades, and four or five packs of different flavored jerky. Changmin had included a set of camping equipment and more clothes, in case it took more than a day and night.</p><p>I repacked the bag and zipped it up, setting it by the chair. I went through the house and turned off all my lights, and as I went to sleep, I traced the map in my mind.</p><p>Loud knocking woke me up, and when I opened the door, I was greeted by ten excited men. They piled into my apartment and hugged me tightly, whispering thank you's and handing me boxes of food they'd made for me. I ate eggs and bacon and a few waffles before I began to feel full, but even then I ate the buttered toast in another box before it got to be too much. I put the rest of it in the fridge and told everyone to wait at the entrance to the inner machine while I finished getting ready. Not knowing when I'd next have the chance to take one, I took a shower and dried my hair before putting on the clothes Changmin had put in the bag for me. The jeans were thick and hard to rip, and the shirt and jacket were both long sleeved. I put on a black cap that Eric had given me a while ago, and I pulled the backpack over my shoulders before checking that I remembered where everything was.</p><p>Before I left the apartment, I locked up and put the keys in my pocket. The walk to the entrance wasn't very short, but it was peaceful and helped me clear my head. It was still dark outside the machine, so our streetlights were still on. I hoped that the fireworks really did bring us our twelfth person, and that they'd get to see the cycle of light and dark a few times before we were abandoned again. I knew that the effects of the fireworks wouldn't keep us running forever, but I hoped it would be enough for a few days.</p><p>Everyone hugged me again when I rejoined them before slowly leaving. Changmin was the last one waiting, and I gave him the keys to my apartment. He looked surprised, confused, and concerned all at once, and I smiled sadly before giving him a tight hug.</p><p>"It's just in case I don't, uhm, come back," I told him. He swallowed thickly and nodded. "Take care of the place for me, hmm?" He nodded and wiped away tears.</p><p>"I will. The place will still be waiting for you when you come back. We'll <em>all be waiting</em> for you to come back, so don't go do something stupid and die on us, yeah?"</p><p>"I'll do my best, Mr. Ji," I said, saluting him. He broke out into shocked laughter and pushed my arm back down.</p><p>"Don't call me that! Ew," he said. He shuddered and I laughed at him. "You better go before I change my mind and make you stay." I nodded and turned away, looking at the unassuming door in the wall. I walked forwards and set my hand on the knob. Sunwoo had told me that Elyxion kept this door locked in their city, but no one from ours had ever come this far. No one had ever needed to, because we were a small enough city that not a single apartment down here had ever been stepped into. Not a single soul had ever set foot in any of the darkened houses down here. It felt painfully abandoned, and I opened the door to see pure darkness. I turned back and saw Changmin far off in the distance. I pulled out my flashlight and switched it on, starting my careful journey.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The inside of the machine was a mess of wires. I had to navigate my way through them carefully so I wouldn't pull any of them away from their proper places. It was a long and difficult process, but despite growing more and more exhausted I carried on. It was to complete our city, so I wouldn't give up and head back without the fireworks. According to Elyxion, their President had been gone for four whole days when he went to find theirs. I wasn't completely sure, but I was pretty sure it hadn't been a full day when I stumbled over a little wooden box. I thought, at first, that it was just another piece of metal inside the machine, but it didn't make the right noise when I accidentally kicked it. I crouched down, careful to avoid wires, and cracked the lid open. I reached inside and pulled out a long, colorful tube that matched the descriptions Kevin and Sunwoo had given me. I smiled and put it back before closing it.</p><p>I grabbed the box and stood up turning around and starting to walk again. I hoped I could reach the city again before the day was over. Navigating the inner machine was more difficult with the awkward box in hand, but I did the best I could. Eventually, though, I got hungry and thirsty, so I carefully sat down and set the box in front of me. The jerky and orange gatorade made me feel a lot better, and I thought that maybe, with this new energy, I could make it in time. I began to daydream about my comfortable bed back in my apartment as I walked, though I had to interrupt the imagined sheets and pillows quite a few times to duck under and around wires. It was hot and dusty, and I stopped ever-so-often for more jerky and gatorade.</p><p>It felt like a dream when I saw the open door again, streetlights shining faintly farther away. I nearly broke out into a run before I remembered the tangled network of wires that had been near the beginning. With as much restraint as I could muster, I made my way back through the wires and out into the city. I pulled the door shut, and it felt like a whole new world again. I took a moment to just sit down and rest before making the long trip back. I was welcomed with even more joy and excitement than I'd been sent off with, and Changmin promised we'd set them off in the morning. He set a building-wide alarm, and even after a warm shower the excitement I felt nearly kept me from sleeping.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The fireworks were like nothing I'd ever seen. They rained down a sea of sparkles and glitter over us, and Changmin giggled happily as Sunwoo brushed glitter from his hair. I hadn't expected the fireworks to work immediately, but the machine lit back up as soon as the last one had disappeared. The city rang with music and we watched as balls moved back and forth in our streets. We tried to keep track, but eventually failed. We knew, though, that it was getting close to the end of the supposed dozen balls the fireworks were supposed to bring forward. By my estimate, we only had three left.</p><p>Another ball shot forth, and it ended up dissipating uselessly. I crossed my fingers and hoped as hard as I could that the next one would work. By some miracle, it did.</p><p>When the second to last ball dissipated, it spat out a blond boy in a pink shirt. He sat hunched over his legs spread wide, the long sleeves of his pink and white sweater hiding his hands where they lay pressed against the floor between his legs. I rushed over while the others cheered and I helped pull him to his feet. I briefly remembered Younghoon helping me up when I was born, and I smiled at the blond boy when he turned to look at me. My first thought was about how pretty he was, and my second was that he would move into the seventh floor.</p><p>"Hi," I said quietly. "My name is Sangyeon." A smile fluttered about his lips, and he blushed prettily as he responded.</p><p>"My name is Chanhee," he told me shyly. I smiled even more widely and made sure he could stand on his own before letting him go. He caught my hand, and I blushed too.</p><p>"Welcome to Ilyah. We've been waiting for you."</p><p>The ninety-eighth ball to enter and bounce around Ilyah had finally given us our last member. I couldn't wait to find out what he was like.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>feel free to give me suggestions for a sequel and find me on twt @catfacekathryn</p></blockquote></div></div>
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